Driving mechanism



(No Model.)

P. H. RICHARDS.

DRIVING MECHANISM.-

No. 540,842. Patented June 11, 1895.

T V'z'tnesses. I I Inventor.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

SEECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,842, dated June 11,1895.

Application filed August 18, 1894- .Zo aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDriving Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in driving-mechanism forsewing-machines, the object being to provide a mechanism of this classin which the driven machine may be at any time readily shifted fromposition for use into position for inspection without throwing'off thedriving-belt.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a partof thisspecification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of portions of a sewing-machine embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is adetail illustrating the pivotal connection of the auxiliary and mainframes of the machine.

Like characters designate like parts in all of the figures.

According to my present invention I mount the frame carrying thedriven-mechanism, (which said frame I term the auxiliary frame,)pivotally upon, the mainframe or standard of the machine, so that saidauxiliary frame has a determined arc of movement. A rotary,drivingmember, of relatively large diameter, is j ournaled upon saidmain frame, and is located remote from the pivot of the auxiliary frame,and is connected, by means of a driving-band, with a rotarydriven-member journaled upon the auxiliary frame and remote from thepivot therebf. A guide, which may be a fixed portion of the main frame,is placed contiguous to the rearward side of the rearward or draft runof the driving-band, and adjacent to, andin the rear of, the pivotalaxis of the auxiliary frame; while a-second guide, such as a roller orwheel, is carried by the main frame and located contiguous to theforward side-of the forward run of the driving-band, said guide-wheelbeing also disposed adjacent to, and in advance of, the pivotal axis ofthe auxiliary frame, and in such a manner that its band-engaging faceis, in all positions of the auxiliary frame, in the rear of that commontangent to the, forward band-engaging faces of the rotary Serial No.520,684. (No model.)

the forward run of the driving-band are constantly carried by theguide-wheel at an angle to each other and in the rear of such commontangent, and each of the guides maintains a point in its respective runin substantially fixed relation to the axis of the auxiliary frame, andadjacent to, but at opposite sides of, said axis, and permits theoutward swinging of the upper portion of each of said respective runs ofthe driving-band relatively to the lower portion of such correspondingrun, the driving-band thus being positively controlled in all positionsof the auxiliary frame, whereby the movable or auxiliary frame may betilted, with respect to the main frame, without throwing off thedriving-band or disengaging the same from its guide-wheel.

through the medium of a belt or band G. A hand-wheel 4. is providedalso, for the purpose of starting the machine. The drivingwheel is shownas secured to the end of the shaft 6, which is journaled at the said endto the bearing 7 and receives motion, through a crank. 8 and aconnecting-rod 9, from a treadle (not shown) in the usual way.

Upon a cross-piece 12, forming part of the main-frame, is mounted aguide or idler for the belt, which guide is here shown in its preferredform as a grooved-wheel or frictionroller 1'3, revoluble upon a stud orpin 10 carried by said cross-piece. As shown in Fig. 3, it will be seenthat the driving and drivenwheels and the guide-roller are all in linewith one another, and that each is preferably formed with a peripheralgroove or channel to prevent running off of the belt when the machine isin operation. Said guide or roller ICO is shown as engaging the run letof the belt, about mid-way between the journals of the driving anddriven-wheel, respectively, of the machine, but it may be placed at anyother point along this run that will prevent light,

ening of the belt when the axis of the drivenshaft is shifted, and thedriven machine or needle-carrying-frame is tilted to the rear as shownin Fig. 1. Said guide-roller 13 is here shown as placed in front of therun 14, and is so disposed that theline of movement of said run issubstantially parallel with that of the draft-run 15 of the belt. Inthis position of the guide-roller a much larger belt-surface will beconstantly engaged by the grooved driven-wheel 4, than is the case witha belt directly connected from a large d riving-wheel to a smallerdriven-wheel.

In Fig. 1, I have shown at 14', in dotted lines, the path of movement ofthe run 14 in machines as ordinarily constructed. Here the belt is incontact with about one-half of the peripheral surface of thedriven-wheel; while, when the guide-roller is in position, as shown insaid figure, with the run 14 substantially parallel with the run 15, aconsiderably greater wheel-surface is engaged by the belt, and theadhesion between the two members correspondingly increased. Owing tothis fact,

and to the further fact that the movement of the belt is not seriouslyretarded by the guideroller 13, I am enabled to run the belt at a muchlower tension than is ordinarily employed in this class of machines andI thereby lengthen the life of the belt and reduce the strains upon themoving parts of the mechanism.

In the preferred form of my invention, I have shown the bed-plate D aspivoted to the table or support 0 by connections which permit the readyremoval of the bed-plate, and the operating mechanism supported thereon,from said table 0. A screw-threaded post or bolt 16 is shown as passedthrough the table or support C, and as having a deep-slotted head, saidslot extending to the line 16. Pivoted within this slot, upon a pin orstud 17, is a swinging pintle 18 having a beveled stopface 18', which,when the operative parts of the needle mechanism are in their normalpositions with respect to the main-frame B and the table 0, crosses theslot in said bolt in diagonal direction. When the bed-plate C and thearm E are tilted, however, to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig.1, the beveled face of said pintle lies in a horizontal plane engagingthe lower stop-face or wall of the slot in the head of the bolt. Theangle of said bevel is such that the pintle swings, preferably in an arcof about fifty degrees from the horizontal. The lower hinged portion ofthe pintle is rectangular in form, to conform to the outline of the slotin the head of the bolt, and to prevent lateral swinging thereof withrespect to said bolt. The upper portion is preferably rounded, as shown,and

is engaged in a correspondingly shaped recess or slot in the side orrear edge of the bedplate D. It will be understood, of course, that twoor more of such connections between the main-frame and the saidbed-plate are provided; and it will be seen that the upper portion ofthe machine, carrying the operat ing parts, can be readily tilted backupon said pintles or removed from engagement therewith, if desired. Thebolts 16 are maintained in fixed positions, relatively to the frame, bymeans of the adjusting and locking-nuts 19 and washers 20.

With the belt in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, it will beevident that, when the bed-plate and its mechanism are tilted to therear, said belt will be oscillated about the two points 21 and 22, andwill be carried to the position shown in dotted lines. The slack of thebelt will be so slight that said belt will not be thrown off of eitherofthe main wheels or theguide-wheel, but will maintain the same relativeposition with regard to the drivingwheel and the driven-wheel as when inits normal position. The rear edge of the opening formed in the table 0,for the passage of the belt, will serve as a stop to prevent theslacking of the draft-run of said belt. If desired, a friction-rollermay be mounted on the frame at the point 21.

\Vhile the driving connection G, is herein shown as a belt of the usualconstruction, I do not limit myself to the use of a belt, as the saidconnection may be any desired form of driving band. I include with theterm driving band, any of the well-known means for connecting a drivingand a driven shaft or wheel, such as a rope, a belt, or ametallicsprocket-chain.

It will be evident from the foregoing that all the operating parts ofthe driven-machine may be quickly brought into a position where they maybe inspected, and any necessary adjustments readily effected, withoutremoving any portion of said machine from the framework, and thiswithout throwing the belt off from the driving-wheel or in anywiseaffecting the relative adjustments of the transmis sion gearing oroperative parts of the drivenmachine or needle-mechanism. Theorganization of devices herein shown and described thus forms a verysimple and effective means for inspecting the different parts of themachine, for adjusting the operating devices, and for preventing thedisengagement of the driving band from the driving and driven wheels byproviding slack take-ups therefor, one of which is formed by thefriction-roller or guide 13, and the other by the rear-wall of thebelt-opening in the frame.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a mechanism of thecharacter described, the combination with the main frame, of anauxiliary frame pivotally carried thereon and having a determined arc ofmovement, a rotary driving-member of relatively large diameter andjournaled upon the main frame remote from said pivot, a rotarydriven-member of relatively small diameter and journaled. upon theauxiliary frame remote from said pivot, a driving-band between andconnecting said rotary members,'a guide upon the main frameandcontiguous tothe outer side of the rearward run of the driving-bandand adja-' cent to and in the rear of the pivotal axis of the auxiliaryframe and in position and adapted to permit the outward swinging of theupper portion of said run of the driving band relatively to the lowerportion of said run, and a guide-wheel carried by the main frame andlocated contiguous to theouter side of the forward run of thedriving-band and adjacent-to and in advance of the pivotal axis of theauxiliary frame and having its bandengaging face in all positions of theauxiliary frame in the rear of the corresponding common tangent to theforward band-engaging faces of the aforesaid rotary members, whereby theupper and lower portions of the forward run of said driving-band areconstantly carried by said guide-wheel at an angle to each other and inthe rear of such common v tangent and the driving-band is therebyposihaving a determined arc of movement, a rotary driving-member ofrelatively large diameter and journaled upon the main frame remote fromsaid pivot, a rotary driven-member of relatively small diameter andjournaled upon the auxiliary frame remote from said pivot, a drivingband between andconnecting said rotary members, and a pair of guidescarried by the main frame and contiguous respectively to the outer sidesof the forward and rearward runs of the driving-band and each adapted tomaintain a point in its respective run in substantially fixed relationto the pivotal axis of the auxiliary frame and adjacent to said axis atopposite sides thereof and each also adapted to permit the outwardswinging of the upper portion of its respect- 5o ive run relatively tothe lower portion of such corresponding run, substantially as set forth.

1 FRANCIS H. RICHARDS. Witnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE,

FREDERICK A. BOLAND.

